Mercedes-Benz and My Family

If you're reading this, chances are, you know what a Mercedes-Benz is. Actually, I firmly believe that everyone - whether you're a car enthusiast or not - will know what Mercedes-Benz is. Whether you think they're the epitome of luxury or you think they're absolutely overrated and the competition has far better offerings, there is no denying that the Mercedes-Benz brand holds a high place in the society.

Mercedes-Benz cars have often been featured in music videos, mentioned in lots of songs, movies and so on. Royal families, government officials, dictators and celebrities all around the world roll in Mercedes-Benz. One just needs to spend at least 10 minutes riding a W124 to understand what the whole Mercedes-Benz affair is all about.

And here I am, been growing up in Benzes since I was still a newborn.

My first taste of a Benz was in a W126 280SE. My dad went through two of those and one 300SEL - the one pictured above being his second W126, and check out those rare Brabus rims! The last time I saw a set for sale recently, it was somewhere around RM5,500 - more than what my whole W124 220E was. If I had lots of money burning a hole in my pocket, I definitely would have gone for it.

Anyway, that's for a different story. Back to the story of Mercs in my family, you will notice in the picture above, there's another Mercedes - this time, a W140 S-Class.

This particular model is the first series of the W140-generation S-Class. It was the first of the three W140s my dad owned in my life - all of them are S320 (or 300SE, for the early models) and only one was the long-wheelbase variant - and I remembered admiring the rear parking guides extending and retracting every time my dad put it into reverse. Anyone with a hint of knowledge of the W140 would know about a boot handle release that extends and retracts whenever you go to open the boot. I learnt of it the hard way when I was six years old when I got my fingers pinched by the W140's boot handle as I attempt to open it without realising that the button to open the boot was below the plate number frame, on the garnish that connects the two tail lights. My dad took this car to many places - going to and back from Muar, Johor which is his hometown and even up Genting Highlands. Yep, he's technically done a touge run in a W140 S-Class. Nice.

My late grandfather used to daily drive this particular beast. There was a time he was rear ended by a Proton Saga. Despite the horrifying sound, the W140 only suffered a chipped chrome trim whereas the Saga suffered a broken radiator. While the Saga was supposedly at fault, my grandfather felt so sorry for the man, he paid for his damage. Talk about balling and being sympathetic at the same time...

He hated driving it, by the way. Calling it the "Baby Elephant," the thing was just massive. Too massive for his liking. He eventually got a W210 to take its place.

The W210 my dad got for my grandfather was NOT the one pictured above - the one he got was in maroon, and I don't remember the exact engine that was powering it, though I'm led to believe it was an E200 - Kompressor or not, I'm not sure. The one shown above here is - or was - a 1996 E280 with the M104 straight-six engine that my dad bought AND sold in February 2020. This car was the epitome of lemon and my dad hated it so much, he sold it to the same guy - a used-car dealer - after no more than three weeks, and God probably thinks that the car is so repulsive, it has since met its end in an accident. Why would the guy told my dad about that? That's beyond me. It's a shame, because it had the potential to be a bloody excellent car.

It should be obvious to anyone reading this at this point is that my dad, his parents and eventually me myself are suckers for Mercedes-Benz cars, and you can't talk about Mercedes-Benz without mentioning the iconic W124 E-Class.

The particular model shown above is a 1989 300E-24 that's imported from the UK. From the first owner in Malaysia all the way up to its current owner, all of them have always been within my dad's close circle of friends and relatives. This means that not only had my dad driven it, but so did my late grandfather and my late uncle and the current owner? Another of my dad's relative and late uncle's neighbour.

For almost 30 years.

Of course, it was part of my childhood and I did get to relive it in 2018 - in fact, I wrote a review about how it drove in my old blog here. Unfortunately, for reasons, my dad couldn't keep it in the family. Apparently the fuel divider was a pain in the ass to source. Still a beauty, though.

Unsurprisingly, my dad also owned the predecessor of the iconic W124 - this immaculate, very original W123 230E Automatic. I remembered distinctly this car had no rear seat belts, much to my annoyance.

The W123 chassis was something I eventually revisited in late 2019. For a while, my dad took this car - a 1984 W123 200 with a 4-speed manual - home from his friend who has over 30 other cars (I hope to feature some of them soon) and the car was a complete rust bucket. Shockingly, the car ran. Though I neglected it for a while because it was just god-awful, and drained the battery in the process. Months later, the car was then towed away and then sold to a Benz mechanic who plans to turn it into a rough and ready "rally car" sort of rat-rod. I would love to feature that car in this blog when the car is done up.

These days, my dad and I each drive a 1990 260E Malaysian-spec and a 1992 220E Japanese-spec respectively. The 260E was found on Mudah and was owned by a mechanic who is passionate in all things related to old Mercedes cars, and as a consequence, while the car was a mix and mash of random bits of other W124s, the mechanicals were well-maintained. Since getting the car, my dad only changed the rims, added tint, changed the plate number frame and font, new shock absorbers and a few minor fixes.

The 1992 220E, on the other hand, was something my dad had long admired. Formerly belonging to an old neighbor of his, my dad had asked the owner repeatedly in the past if he wants to sell it, but each time, he get a firm, solid no. But in November last year, I found the advertisement on Mudah, and showed it to my dad. Before I know it, he dumped a deposit on it and here we are now.

Its floor was devoid of rust as the car has been parked under a roof for as long as it has been owned. However, the bushings, shock absorbers, tires and other wear and tear parts definitely needs replacing. The paint could do with a touch up, and the interior needs cleaning too. I should attend to those and take my time with it.

Neither cars are perfect, but they still drive well, and that's just the beauty of these old Benzes. A restoration would be perfect, but right now, they serve my family well as it is. It's one of those classic cars that can still keep up with modern traffic in everyday situations. It handles well for a boat, too.

While my dad went on to own various other car makes and I myself formed a bond with my Wira, old Benz cars will forever be something I have a soft spot for. I found myself in a handful of Mercedes-Benz communities, where I'm constantly reminded of how small the world is, though I learnt a lot in these groups. I'm currently driving a Camry XV20 which was intended for my brother as my heavy usage will accelerate the wear and tear rate of my 220E, but I can't wait to get back into the Merc because there's just a feeling that I can't quite describe whenever I drive it. Right now, I'm just saving up to begin restoration on it.

That's all for this entry. For me, Mercedes-Benz isn't a status symbol: it's a part of my childhood, my family. A part of who I am. While I've driven many cars that are faster, more agile and more exciting, the old Benzes is something I'll find myself running back to. Also, looking at the three-pointed star on the end of the bonnet brings about a feeling that's just hard for me to describe, but it brings about a feel-good feeling in me. Truly, The Best or Nothing.

So tell me, what car brand do you grow up with that became part of your family?